Sci-fi thriller about a man who decides to let himself be cloned for a scientific (illegal) experiment. But watching his clone continue his life turns out to be harder than he expected. A few twists and turns, slightly unbelievable at times, but a good page-turner.

When I think of mystery, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the thrills. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. It didn't seem fair for me to review a book that I didn't finish.

This is a science fiction book that looks at the consequences of human cloning. Jeremiah Adams agrees to be a test subject in a new cloning experiment. He is unhappy with his life, so giving up one year while watching his clone live out his life on screen sounds like a great deal to him. Until it's not. One year is a long time when you're away from your family and watching someone make your decisions really puts things into perspective. Jeremiah is faced with so much more than he bargained for.
I really enjoyed this read! Once I started, it was hard to put down because I just had to know where it would end. And of course this set me on a course of seeking out more speculative fiction.
Thanks so much to MIRA and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Mirror Man!

This well written tale provoked the question on just how fictional the concept might be. Cloning. The exact reproduction of oneself in all facets is a challenging thought.

"The Mirror Man" is one of the best and most exciting thrillers I've read in a very long time! Great characters and pacing!

I participated in this book's excerpt tour and clicked on the NetGalley widget by accident. It is not one I am interested in reading at this time.

This isn't my normal genre to read, but it sounded interesting. The premise was interesting, but it fell a bit flat for me. Jeremiah wasn't that interesting, and I had a hard time staying engaged and caring about him and what was happening. There were a couple twists, but they were somewhat predictable. It's a book I'll likely not think of again.

Jeremiah Adams agrees to be cloned, in an experiment he knows to be technically illegal. It allows him (in fact forces him) to step outside of his life for a year, in exchange for millions of dollars in payoff. Part of the experiment involves him viewing his clone living his life for four hours a day, every day at different times. Before long this has the unexpected result of him seeing his life from the outside--and he does not like what he sees. He increasingly finds himself questioning the clone's life choices, and his own past choices. He is becoming a different man.

He and his family are being watched closely, in addition to regular sessions with the powerful drug Meld that made the mind transference possible. The experiment is being backed by powerful people, including high ranking U.S. military personnel. Anything that threatens the success of the experiment is swiftly dealt with. There are suspicions about Jeremiah's elderly mother and his wife, and they both die in mysterious accidents, despite his attempts to warn the clone to protect his wife. His son is not coping well, and he comes to fear that if the experiment is allowed to run to the end he may not have a life to go back to.

He escapes to pursue a desperate plan to kill the clone and retake his former life. Unable to do the deed, he pivots to a risky plot to get his son back. The last few chapters are an exciting dash to the end, with a brief twist as the corporation attempts to pull a switch on him. He has vowed to reveal the truth about the experiment, but the story ends with him, his son, and the family dog (who had a surprisingly important role) free and on the road.

Gilmartin tells a riveting story about biotechnology and corporate control which works as both science fiction and thriller. An excellent debut novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance e-book copy.

A huge thank you to Emer Flounders for allowing me access to The Mirror Man in exchange for a honest review!

This book kept me on my toes from beginning to end; you really get to see Jeremiah grow as a character throughout the story as he sees just how much impact his choice in participating in this cloning experiment has on his life and the people he cares about while he simply watches the events play out.

You see Jeremiah grapple with the mistakes he’s made and the lengths he’s willing to go to try and prevent such mistakes from happening again. I enjoyed seeing his friendship with Brent develop and how he is willing to count on him when it mattered the most.

I would absolutely recommend this book and am so thankful that I was able to read it.

3.75 stars. A man watches his clone as it replaces him in his daily life and learns more about himself than he cares to. After several sinister events, he realizes that he doesn’t like who he is and becomes determined to fix things. A far fetched techno thriller involving experimental, illegal cloning; unethical scientists; and questionable military, government interference. A quick, couldn’t put it down, read.

Watching a you that's not really you, but it really you can be hard on the brain I would think. This book took our worst fears and handed them to you on a silver platter. It was extremely slow going at first as the scene was being set, but about 40% in or so I couldn't put it down. I was mesmerized by the story. Great story line, maybe a little more action at the beginning would have been nice, but the ending....nice. Can't wait to read more by Jane Gilmartin.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher!!!

Jeremiah is your average work-a-day Joe, having given up his dreams to be an acclaimed newspaper reporter years ago. He now finds himself, middle-aged, not-so-happily married, with a teen-aged son who barely acknowledges his existence. At least he has Louie, his faithful dog.

Jeremiah, head of marketing at ViMed Pharmaceuticals had done some great marking work for their newest product, Meld. Meld is an amazing drug that allows doctors and therapists entrance into their patients’ minds.
Although it is still illegal, Vi-Med has found a way to make clones; combine that technology with Meld and the possibilities are endless.

Suddenly Jeremiah finds himself being handed a golden opportunity: volunteer to be cloned, live in the lab and be monitored while watching your clone resume your life. The down-side: you can’t tell a single soul. The upside: 10 Million Dollars upon completion.

Jeremiah suddenly really begins to see himself and not just physically, he comes to see certain things about his nature and personality that he doesn’t love. Nobody seems to notice that this imposter is not him and he finds it distressful and distasteful. Surely there is more to a person that his combination of cells and memory. He also gets to see his interactions or lack-there-of with his family and co-workers.

Jeremiah becomes disillusioned and unhappy with his clone. Not able to see that he himself is changing with the insights offered by being a fly on the wall. Boredom and maybe a touch of paranoia begin to creep into Jeremiah the more he watches.

Things begin to really unfold as the clones life takes turns that Jeremiah cannot predict or prevent.

I had great hopes for Jeremiah and his family. While he began as a bland, distant and kid of unlikable character (purposefully), he began to evolve. Unfortunately the story ended before he could made a complete transformation.

There were a couple of good twists here. I would have liked to see some plot points explained or carried further but overall a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This type of book is so far out of my usual genre that I was at first hesitant to read it. I am a long-time science fiction fan, however, and thought it would be interesting for a change of pace from what I have been reading lately.
I will say that it took me a bit to get into the story, but I’m glad that I stuck with it because not only was it good sci fi, it also produced an interesting commentary on humanity and how we all see each other.
(I think the slow start for me was due to the scientific nature of the descriptions. While they weren’t particularly technical, there was a lot of detail that I didn’t totally understand. That being said, it was written in an approachable way, so I was able to slog through those parts).
Jeremiah works for a company that has produced a drug called Meld that essentially allows for entrance into people’s minds. This same company has “perfected” cloning. In short, Jeremiah is chosen (volunteers?) to be the subject of a new experiment.
He will be cloned…exactly…and the clone will be implanted with all of Jeremiah’s memories through the use of Meld. Jeremiah will then be able to view the clone 4 hours a day while being analyzed by various scientist. The hope is that the clone will be able to easily slide seamlessly into Jeremiah’s life without anyone noticing the difference.
Right away I got a feeling of foreboding because the premise addresses a basic fear that many people carry: how do people really see me? Do they recognize me as me? Do they know me well enough to realize if they’re talking to someone other than me?
Do we ever really know each other?
All of these questions kept going through my head as I read through Jeremiah’s viewing sessions. It was fascinating to see his change in perspective as he pondered the same questions while realizing that he was guilty of the same things that he was getting upset at other people about.
One moment in particular, regarding an office mate who planned all of the office celebrations, was especially poignant. I think it hit me because I’m usually that person – making sure that others are recognized.
But do people ever think to recognize the organizer? Or do they remain invisible and taken for granted. I think this is the turning point for Jeremiah.
There are some subplots about military interest in the project and the fate of people who may or may not recognize that Jeremiah has “changed” but honestly, they didn’t play a huge part for me. They seemed more there for plot twists than for actually moving the plot along. I also thought the ending seemed a bit rushed.
Regardless, I thought the author really did a good job of using cloning as a mechanism for a human to take stock of what matters in life while ultimately realizing the importance of recognizing – and truly seeing – the humanity in each of us.

Sometime in the possible future a PR guy gets cloned by his company that released a unique drug called Meld. Those two aspects are intertwined, although different aspects, and it's a bit of a crazy book. The writing was okay but not exceptional.

What was up with all the references to beer drinking? The interesting aspect to the book is looking at who you are, and realizing where you can do, or be, a better person.

In Jane Gilmartin’s book, we follow Jeremiah, a very successful PR manager who also happens to be unhappy in his personal life. He suspects his wife of cheating on him and he struggles to connect with his teenage son. With the highly controversial pharmaceutical drug Meld, he believes he can get a break from all the stressors in his life when his present consciousness and memories are transferred into his clone. And so his clone will take his place, living in his house, working his job— for an entire year, all the while the real Jeremiah will live his year watching his clone while living in a basement apartment with no access to the outside world, he cannot leave under any circumstances. His only companions are the doctors, therapists, and data analysts involved with the Meld project.
But soon Jeremiah begins to realize that maybe the Meld was a mistake. Maybe this is actually a very dangerous drug, and that the owner has ulterior motives for the project succeeding, and nothing will come in his way for it to be a success.

—
Ultimately I quite enjoyed this book. I thought it was a very interesting story concept. I loved the sci-fi mixed with the medical aspects of the story. It was fulfilling to see Jeremiah as a character grow and learn that he just wasn’t trying hard enough in his personal life to work on his relationships with his wife, son, and co-workers. Unfortunately, this takes him suffering two very tragic instances for him to realize what an asshole he’s been and to bring change.
I thought the beginning of the book was very engaging, the middle tended to drag a bit but the ending certainly made up for this. I really enjoyed the ending, it was fast-paced, tense, and absolutely riveting and shocking!
It was overall a good book and I look forward to seeing what other books Jane Gilmartin writes.

3.5 stars.

** ARC provided by Harlequin Trade Publishing (US & Canada) under the MIRA Imprint via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Have you seen this movie “The Island”? As part of medical procedure, they clone the original human counterparts and use the body parts of the respective clone incase the original human needs it.

The Mirror Man has a similar storyline, except the former happens in a dystopian future, but this is a reality. The story is interesting and has good amount of suspense to it. I knew what was gonna happen at the end, but I kept reading just for the feel! Overall an entertaining novel.

Thank you Mira/Harlequin, Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly this book gave me a lot to think about. I did not really like any of the characters here, but I definitely vibed with the overall message. The author had a lot of good things here but the end wrapped up too nicely for my liking considering all that happened. And a lot happened. I think it could have been more fun for him to be less of a boring ass dude than if he was more of a villain.

Jeremiah has made a deal with the devil, or in this case, ViMed Pharmaceuticals. It's illegal, but he agrees to be cloned and let his clone replace him for a year. Jeremiah will watch his interactions for four hours each day, every day for the year. He will provide insight regarding his clone's behavior, and the best part will be the 10 million dollars he will be paid. Not bad for a man who is unhappy with his job, disconnected from his son, and who believes his wife is unfaithful. No one will ever know, and when he reclaims his life, it will be like he never left.
Of course, it doesn't take long for Jeremiah to grow disillusioned with the reality of living each day watching his life move on without him. He starts seeing flaws in his clone's behavior. There is nothing wrong with the clone, however, Jeremiah is truly seeing himself for the first time, and he does not like what he sees.
Besides the ethical and moral implications of cloning, the chance to see yourself from the outside was a truly unique viewpoint. I was rooting for Jeremiah to become a better person, get his family and life back while hoping ViMed would be exposed. I didn't get everything I wanted, but I got enough to make The Mirror Man a thoughtful and engaging read.

I rarely read thrillers or mystery books but sometimes they catch my eye like Mirror Man has. On the surface you might call this a cheesy fun thriller. I say this to compare to thriller movies that I do actually watch. But it has compelling moments throughout the pages that give me heebie jeebies because it could happen. Playing God with Science when nature doesn't want it so is very creepy to me.

The main character Jeremiah is a marketing manager for a pharmaceutical company called ViGen. He makes the mistake of accepting to be a participant in an illegal cloning experiment. So he accepts and fate begins her plans for him. He was far too accepting without knowing the actual details of the experiment. His life begins to fall apart before his very eyes, knowing full well he cannot intervene. And he is wondering what will happen if he takes back his consent to participate. Something that may have a higher cost than he's willing or knowingly can give.

The book really sells on what ethics and dignity a person has. And how far someone will go for the right price.

I enjoyed the book and it's crazy themes and atmosphere. It's well paced and chilling.

I want to thank Netgalley and the Publisher MIRA for the ARC.